The present invention relates generally to repairing surfaces that are submerged in a liquid at all times and need repair from time to time, such as floors or sides of swimming pools, outer surface of ships, inside surface of oil tanker etc. and more particularly to an innovative system of creating a workable space around the surface that needs repair and performing such repair without completely draining the entire body of liquid.
Swimming pools, both in-ground and above ground varieties, abound in homes, clubs, and community centers across several countries. Pool water require weekly or daily maintenance to maintain the right circulation of water through a filtration system to remove dust particles/leaves etc., maintain the right PH level, and introduce the right level of chemicals to prevent growth of algae. However, the introduction of chemicals as well as natural elements such as earthquakes, exposure of surfaces to sun or algae growth over long periods of time can cause wear and tear on the submerged surfaces of the pool such as cracks in the floor or side wall of the pool, peeling of paint or discoloration. Repairing the pool, when the pool is filled, however, is cumbersome due to the body of water covering the surface to be repaired. Conducting such repairs typically requires one to drain the water and empty the pool, if the repair needs to be done on the floor of the pool. For instance, even repairing a minor damage such as repairing a minor crack of few inches wide in the floor of the pool will require draining tens of thousands of gallons of water depending on pool size. Further, several cities have regulations around draining of pool water and thus the pool owner has to incur significant expenses of draining and then re-filling the pool and then bringing the pool water up to its original chemical composition by adding chemicals as the pool gets refilled.
A similar situation can arise in a ship, in transit, whose outer surface needs urgent repair in an area that is submerged under the water surface or an oil tanker that develops a leak that requires a surface submerged under the oil to be repaired without draining the entire quantity of oil in the container. In each case, it is tough to conduct the repair since the surface is submerged in a fluid during operation.
As such, what is needed is a repair device that allows one to conduct repairs at the damaged surface, by creating a workable space within the liquid in which the damaged surface is submerged, without having to empty the entire body of liquid it is submerged in.